I would choose the next channel by how the customer buys and what the team can learn. A channel’s popularity tells you very little about its fit for your business.
The useful comparison is between testable opportunities. “Do LinkedIn” is not an opportunity definition. Reaching a specific type of buyer with a relevant offer and a credible follow-up process is.
Score the assumptions before scoring the channel
Evaluate five questions for each candidate. Does the audience use it in a relevant context? Can the offer communicate value there? Is the expected acquisition cost plausible? Can the team execute the format well? Can you observe a meaningful outcome within your available time?
Use a simple high, medium, or low assessment with a sentence of evidence. Numerical scoring can look more precise without improving the underlying judgment.
| Evidence | Appropriate next step |
|---|---|
| Customers actively search for the problem | Inspect queries, intent, and competing offers |
| Buyers cluster around a professional role | Test whether targeting and outreach reach actual decision-makers |
| The product is easy to demonstrate visually | Develop a small creative test around the product experience |
| Existing customers recommend it naturally | Investigate the referral trigger and how to support it |
Choose a learning objective
A first test should answer one primary question. It might establish whether the audience responds to the offer, whether leads qualify, or whether a sales motion can close them. Avoid asking a tiny test to prove every part of the business model.
Set a maximum loss in money and time. Include creative production and follow-up capacity; media spend is only one input. If a channel requires a volume of new content your team cannot produce, that is a real constraint.
Compare outcomes on a common basis
Channel reports often count different things. Before comparing them, define the same customer outcome and allow for different buying delays. A low-cost signup channel and a high-cost sales-qualified lead channel cannot be compared by cost per conversion without additional context.
Keep the early scorecard compact: spend, qualified demand, downstream progress, time to outcome, and the biggest unresolved assumption. Document what would justify another test.
When should you test a second channel?
Add one when it addresses a meaningful growth constraint or diversification need and the team has capacity to learn from it. Do not interpret “focus” as a permanent commitment to the first tactic. Equally, do not abandon a channel simply because the next one is more interesting.
The 90-day planning framework turns that choice into owned work. The point is a defensible next allocation, not a perfect channel ranking.
Co-founder and CEO of Stackmatix, startup advisor, and former Head of Sales at MightyHive. Connect with Matt on LinkedIn ↗ · More about Matt →